The present invention relates to a knitting method of knitting a collar of knitwear, such as a vest and a sweater, by using a flat knitting machine and to a knit design system for producing a collar knitting command.
The applicant previously proposed in Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 4(1992)-21448 a knitting method of knitting a knitted fabric by using a flat knitting machine wherein a neckline of a front body is widened and also a front drop is formed in the neckline. In this knitting method, the front body is so knitted as to be forked from a starting point for forming the neckline into a right front body and a left front body which confront each other across the neckline. In the process of the knitting, widening stitches are formed around a margin of the neckline and also the stitches of the right front body and left front body are shifted to the outside, respectively. This knitting is repeated to knit the front body to the shoulder. As a result of the neckline being formed in this manner, the number of wale of the neckline is increased and, as a result of this, not only a collar knitted subsequent thereto is widened but also the front drop is automatically formed in the neckline. When the front body thus knitted is used to produce a sweater, the knitwear comes to be fancy and stylish and so comfortable to wear that when wearing, one""s head can smoothly pass through the neckline.
The method of the publication cited above discloses a knitting technology for knitting the front body singularly as a part, rather than the so-called xe2x80x9cseamless knitxe2x80x9d that is the knitting technology in which the front body and the back body are joined at each knitting-widthwise end, to knit them into a tubular form and also are joined to each other at their shoulder portions in the process of knitting by using the flat knitting machine, whereby knitwear, such as a vest and a sweater, is completed.
The xe2x80x9cseamless knitxe2x80x9d is the knitting technology for simplifying or omitting the sewing operation after the knitting process. The applicant has proposed in many applications a variety of knitting technologies on and in connection with the seamless knit so far, including Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publications No. Hei 2(1990)-91254, Hei 2(1990)-229248, Hei 4(1992)-209855 and Hei 4(1992)-153346.
In the seamless knit using a two-bed flat knitting machine, for examples, odd needles on the needle beds are used for a front part of a knitted fabric, such as a front body and front sleeve parts; even needles are used for a back part of the knitted fabric; and alternate needles on the front and back needle beds are used for the seamless knit. When the front part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the back part of the knitted fabric is retained on (associated with) the back needle bed. On the other hand, when the back part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the front part of the knitted fabric is associated with the front needle bed. Thus, the respective fabrics are knitted, with the front and back parts overlapping each other. As a result of this, the empty needles used for transference of stitch can always be reserved for the respective parts of the knitted fabric on the opposed needle beds. Using those empty needles enables the knitting of the structure pattern, such as links, garter and rib, in which front stitches and back stitches are mixed, and also enables the stitches of the sleeves and bodies to be shifted laterally so as to be joined to each other. In contrast to this, in the seamless knit using a four-bed flat knitting machine, for example, the needles on the lower front needle bed and the upper back needle bed are used to knit the front part of the knitted fabric, and the needles on the lower back needle bed and the needles on the upper front needle bed are used to knit the back part of the knitted fabric. In the seamless knit using the four-bed flat knitting machine, when the front part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the back part of the knitted fabric is associated with the lower back needle bed. On the other hand, when the back part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the front part of the knitted fabric is associated with the lower front needle bed. As a result of this, the seamless knit using the four-bed flat knitting machine does not have the limitation that the alternate needles are used for the seamless knit, as in the seamless knit using the two-bed flat knitting machine. The seamless knit can be made by using a flat knitting machine of a transfer jack bed type wherein transfer jacks are arranged in line over either or both of the front and back needle beds of the two-bed flat knitting machine.
On the other hand, the stitch loop holding technique disclosed by Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 11(1999)-43849, which is called xe2x80x9cholding techniquexe2x80x9d, is applicable to the seamless knit. The terminology, xe2x80x9choldingxe2x80x9d, means the stitch loop holding technique using a kind of compound needle, which is called xe2x80x9cslide needlexe2x80x9d, comprising a needle body and a slider which is formed by combining two thin metal sheets and has a tongue at a front end portion thereof. In the holding technique, the stitch as was originally retained on the hook of the needle body is held on the needle and also an additional stitch is received and held on the tongue of the slider, so that those two different stitches are separately held on the same needle. Reference is made to the publication mentioned above about the details of xe2x80x9cthe holdingxe2x80x9d. Using this holding technique enables the needle from which the stitch is transferred to be used as the empty needle. If this holding technique is used to transfer the stitches back to the original empty needles after the knitting is adequately performed, even the two-bed flat knitting machine can knit the knitwear seamlessly with all needles, without any need for previous reservation of the empty needle for the transference of stitch.
However, the application of the knitting method of Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 4(1992)-21448 previously cited to the knitwear to be knitted seamlessly is not easy when the knitwear is wanted to widen the collar width and also form the front drop in the neckline. For example, when the knitwear is knitted in the form of a vest, consideration must be taken of not only the front body but also the relation with the back body which is integrally knitted in parallel with the front body to confront it. Further, in knitting a sweater, a cardigan or the like, since the sleeves are laid at each side of the bodies, further consideration must be taken, including the horizontal and vertical positions of those parts and the way of forming the neckline in the front body and of being integrally knitted with the other parts while shifting the neckline to the outside, thus requiring further complicated consideration and calculation.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a knitting method wherein knitwear, such as sweater, having a widened neckline formed in its front body and having a front drop formed in the neckline is seamlessly knitted in a relatively simply way and to provide a knit design system storing therein a knitting method of knitting the neckline.
The present invention provides a method of knitting knitwear, such as a vest and a sweater, comprising a front part of fabric having at least a front body and a back part of fabric having at least a back body by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds, which are extended laterally and confront each other in back and front and at least either of which can be racked laterally to transfer stitches between the needles beds. The method comprises the step that the front part of fabric and the back part of fabric are knitted from their bottom hems to shoulders in the condition that the front part of the fabric is associated with the first needle bed and the back part of the fabric is associated with the second needle bed, so that the front part of the fabric and the back part of the fabric are joined at both knitting-widthwise ends, so as to be knitted in the form of a tubular body; the step that during this process, the front body is knitted to be forked into a right front body and a left front body from a front neckline forming portion and also a flechage knitting that the stitches around a margin of the front neckline are sequentially slipped from the knitting to be put into inoperative positions is repeated a predetermined number of times, so as to form the neckline having a front drop in the front body; and the step that the front part of the fabric and the back part of the fabric are joined to each other at the shoulders, except the necklines, so that the knitwear is knitted into a seamless knit. The method of the invention further comprises the step that stitches at a right side of the front neckline and stitches at a left side of the front neckline, retained on the first needle bed, are shifted from inside to outside, with gradually increasing distances, so that those stitches can be retained on the first needle bed, with empty needles inserted in the spaces between the stitches; the step that at least one of the shifted stitches at an outer side end portion of the right side of the front neckline and at least one of the shifted stitches at an outer side end portion of the left side of the front neckline are fed to the second needle bed so as to be situated next to the stitch at each side end of the back neckline retained on the second needle bed, whereby the stitches at each side end of each of the necklines retained on the front and back needle beds are kept in the positions close to each other, without being away from each other in a lateral direction to a large extent, in the condition of which the neckline is increased in diameter, followed by formation of widening stitches on the empty needles and then knitting of a collar.
It is preferable that when there are a plurality of stitches to be fed to the second needle bed at the outer side end of the right side of the front neckline and at the outer side end portion of the left side of the front neckline, respectively, the plurality of stitches are sequentially fed to the second needle bed from the stitch situated at the side end of the front neckline.
Also, the present invention provides a knit design system for producing a knitting process of a collar by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds, which are extended laterally and confront each other in back and front and at least either of which can be racked laterally to transfer stitches between the needles beds, and a built-in computer. The knit design system comprises means for producing the following commands:
a: the command that stitches at a right side of a front neckline and stitches at a left side of the front neckline, retained on the first needle bed, are shifted from inside to outside, with gradually increasing distances, in such a sequence as to be first shifted a stitch and then shifted two stitches, so that those stitches can be retained on the first needle bed, with empty needles inserted in the spaces between the stitches, and also at least one of the shifted stitches at an outer side end portion of the right side of the front neckline and at least one of the shifted stitches at an outer side end portion of the left side of the front neckline are fed to the second needle bed so as to be situated next to the stitch at each side end of a back neckline retained on the second needle bed;
b: the command that subsequent to the knitting process mentioned above, widening stitches are formed on the empty needles; and
c: the command that subsequently, a collar is knitted.
Now, operation of the present invention will be described. When knitwear such as a vest and a sweater is knitted seamlessly, a flechage knitting that the front body is knitted to be forked into the right front body and the left front body from a front neckline forming portion and also the stitches around the margin of the neckline are sequentially slipped from the knitting to be put into inoperative positions is repeated a predetermined number of times. As a result of this, the number of courses around the neckline is gradually decreased toward the shoulder to form the neckline into a circular form and the front drop is formed in the front body. Thereafter, the front part of the fabric and the back part of the fabric are joined to each other at the shoulders, except the necklines. The knitting steps before the knitting steps of the collar are ended in this manner.
After that, in advance of the knitting of the collar which is to be knitted in continuation with the remaining stitches of the neckline on the needle beds, the process of widening the knitting width of the front neckline is started. The stitches at the right side of the front neckline retained on the first needle bed are shifted from inside to outside, with gradually increasing distances, in such a sequence as to be first shifted a stitch and then shifted two stitches, and empty needles are inserted in the spaces between the stitches. The same knitting is applied to the stitches at the left side of the front neckline. The shift of the stitch is afforded by using the transference of stitch and the racking of needle bed. In the two-bed flat knitting machine that works to knit with alternate needles, the empty needles used for the transference of stitch are reserved for the knitting on the opposed needle beds, so that the stitch is shifted at the distance twice as far as the distance in the knitting using every needle. In the flat knitting machine having the transfer jack, the shift of stitch may be afforded by use of the transfer jack. At least one of the shifted stitches at each side end portion of the front neckline is fed to the second needle bed to be situated adjacent to the stitch at the side end of the back neckline retained on the second needle bed. When the knitting width of the front neckline is increased two wale in each side thereof, the stitches located one at each end of the front neckline are fed to the second needle bed. When the knitting width of the front neckline is increased four wale in each side thereof, the stitches located two at each end of the front neckline are fed to the second needle bed. When the knitting width of the front neckline is increased six wale in each side thereof, the stitches located three at each end of the front neckline are fed to the second needle bed. Thus, in response to increase in the knitting width to be increased, the number of stitches to be fed to the second needle bed increases. When there are two or more stitches to be fed to the second needle bed, those stitches are sequentially fed from the one located at each end of the front neckline.
Thus, the stitches at each side end of each of the necklines retained on the needle beds are kept in the positions close to each other, without being away from each other in a lateral direction to a large extent, and in this condition, the neckline is increased in diameter. Then, after the neckline is widened in this manner, widening stitches are formed on the empty needles inserted in the spaces between the stitches, to set up the knitting of the collar.
Since the knitting process for widening the neckline is started after the front part of the fabric and the back part of the fabric are joined at the shoulders, the issue that consideration must be taken of the horizontal and vertical positions of the parts of the fabric, such as the bodies and the sleeves, on the needle beds, as well as of the way how those parts are integrally knitted, while forming the neckline in the front body, can be ignored. As a result of this, the knitwear of stylish and so comfortable to wear that when wearing, one""s head can smoothly pass through the neckline can be produced in a relatively simple manner.